Seattle will pay $11.5 million to settle 'permatemp' case

Published 10:00 pm, Monday, December 19, 2005

The city of Seattle has agreed to pay $11.5 million to settle claims that it improperly denied benefits to about 2,000 workers it classified as "temporary" between 1996 and 2005.

The city also said that from now on it will limit temporary assignments to less than one year, unless the position involves less than half-time employment.

Four "permatemp" city workers brought the class-action lawsuit in 2002. Two had worked full time for city-owned golf courses for four years without being granted the benefits of regular city workers. One worked at Seattle Public Utilities and the other as a job counselor.